Promoting Enriching Experiences and Relationships (PEER) Mentoring Program focuses on the adjustment of first year students to college life, specifically life at the University of Pennsylvania. PEER mentors emphasize identity development, emotional health, academic success, belonging, and community consciousness. Additionally, PEER seeks to help first year students develop their leadership skills in preparation to become leaders in the Penn and Penn Asian Pacific American (APA) community.
Program Overview
There are three major components to the PEER program: informal mentor-mentee interaction, scheduled PEER events, and the service project. Each PEER mentee is paired with one PEER mentor. Every PEER mentor is a leader in the Penn and/or Penn APA community. Additionally, each of the mentors is committed to helping first year students develop and adjust to college life so that the mentees may eventually rise to also become leaders on campus. Each mentor/mentee pair will be in touch throughout the school year and will informally get together on a fairly consistent basis. PEER also schedules formal events for PEER members. Since the PEER program is so small, commitment to the organization is crucial. There will be three scheduled PEER events each month. One event will be a social that will help PEER program members better develop and maintain their relationships. One event will be a leadership development event that will provide mentees with tangible skills that can be utilized in their future leadership positions. The last event will be an external event that encourages PEER members to interact with other Penn community members outside of PEER. Lastly, the service project asks the mentees, with guidance from PEER mentors, to put together a service project that helps address a need in the Penn and/or Philadelphia Asian Pacific American community. More detailed information on the service project is discussed below.
At the beginning of the fall semester, all the mentees attend an off campus retreat during which they begin to form bonds and friendships with other mentees. Furthermore, they begin to gain an understanding of the APA community at Penn as well as the issues facing APAs at Penn. Through activities and breakout sessions in the retreat, mentees should begin to develop the vital leadership skills that make PEER alumni leaders in the Penn and Penn APA community.
The second part of the retreat will involve the entire PEER program: mentors and mentees. In part II of the retreat, mentees will begin to fully understand the value that each mentor adds to the PEER program. Mentees will become better acquainted with every mentor and their involvement on campus. This part of the retreat will be used primarily to help mentees become familiar with the many clubs on Penn's campus as well as begin to spark idea generation for the service projects.
This year's retreat was held in early September. Information about next year's retreat is forthcoming.
The Service Project
A vital component of the mentee experience is the service project. This project will be worked on throughout the year. Mentees will be divided into teams and asked to synthesize the leadership skills they have developed to put together a project that truly impacts the Penn and/or Philadelphia community. Teams will be created based on common interest.
KEY DUE DATES
April 5th, 2008 at 12:00 PM: PEER Mentor applications are due.
